Brick By Brick: Lambda Chi Alpha alumnus Tim Stone places another brick to the sidewalk that is part of the lighted backyard patio -- one of many projects completed in the second phase of a fraternity home improvement project at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

More than 100 alumni spent portions of six days (Aug. 15-20) building a lighted backyard patio, complete with a charcoal grill, pig roasting pit, brick flooring and bar; installing speakers, flooring, wide screen television, custom sectional sofas, marble top bar, ceiling fans and ceiling tiles in the game room; remodeling a bathroom; and placing new carpeting throughout the first floor of the house.

Bob Vila, the former host of Public Broadcasting System's "This Old House," would have been proud.

"This was our home and we still feel a close connection to it,"

stated John Pfeifer, a 1981 Rose-Hulman alumnus from Houston, Texas, who helped organize the home improvement project. "Once word got out about the need for the project, it spread like wildfire throughout the Lambda Chi Alpha alumni. People wanted to help."

Approximately $55,000 was raised from alumni to cover the cost of supplies and equipment. Of course, engineering consulting expenses and labor were donated by numerous alumni, led by Jim Benzing, a 1977 alumnus from North Canton, Ohio, and Tim Stone, a 1977 alumnus from Chicago. Also, additional alumni provided $20,000 for a new Lambda Chi Alpha scholarship endowment fund to help current and future fraternity members. The successful dual scholarship and remodeling fund-raising events meant an additional $50,000 contribution from an anonymous Lambda Chi Alpha donor.

"That shows how important this fraternity and the friendship formed in this (fraternity) house were to the alumni," added Steve Decker, a 1977 alumni from Wauwatosa, Wis., whose son, Scott, served as Lambda Chi Alpha chapter president in 2006.

Smoothing Out Rough Edges: Jim Benzing, a 1977 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and Lambda Chi Alpha alumnus, uses a grinder to add the finishing touches on a stone table that's part of the new backyard patio at the fraternity house. Benzing designed the patio, which includes a grill, pig roasting pit and bar.

The long weekend home improvement project also served as part-homecoming, part-class reunion for many alumni.

"Some of us haven't seen each other in 25 years," stated Mike Bixler, a 1981 alumnus from Battle Creek, Mich. He noted that Steve Clauter, a 1976 alumnus, rode a motorcycle from Phoenix for the return trip to campus.

At one point during the project, Dan Price, a 1975 graduate from Cincinnati, Ohio, remarked: "I feel like I'm walking amongst people that I know but I haven't figured out who they really are yet. It's been like walking back in time for most of us."

The idea to begin fixing the house, which opened in 1977, came when six alumni visited the house in 2006 and saw its deteriorated condition -- through years of neglect and aging. Approximately 70 alumni returned last year for the first phase of a four-year development project.

Another reason for the renovations was to help increase Lambda Chi Alpha's chapter membership, which has fallen drastically from the 1970s and 1980s, when between 70 and 100 people lived in the house.

"Hopefully, the patio area and game room will help make the fraternity more attractive to prospective recruits, and will serve as a point of pride with current Lambda Chi Alpha members," Pfeifer said.

Thanks to last year's alumni efforts and the enthusiastic participation of the current members, the fraternity chapter recruited 20 new members and received three national awards -- one for strong alumni relations and involvement.

"All of our members look at the alumni as role models," said current chapter president Ryan Jackson, a senior from Monroe, Mich. Seeing the large group of alumni returning to work on the project shows current members "what brotherhood is all about," he said.

Over 200 photos of this event are available for viewing Lambda Chi Alpha alumnus Art Nelson's website by clicking here.